Best Eats In Serangoon, Kovan, Hougang

The 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗴𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘃𝗮 𝗖𝗮𝗸𝗲 ($8.90), with its moist sponge and rich molten chocolate paired with a refreshing scoop of vanilla ice-cream, was heavenly. We felt the 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲 ($7.90) needed improvement as the tart was too soft and the apples slightly sour.

The gargantuan 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗳 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗯𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 ($14.90) was pretty decent, though we wished the cheese was melted to make it more mouth-watering.

The tangy sauce and succulent chicken made the 𝗚𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗮 ($14.90) an excellent dish.

Among the mains, the 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗸 & 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗸’𝗻 ($28.90) is ideal for carnivores. Featuring a juicy steak and a large slab of tender chicken doused in black pepper sauce, this was downright delicious.

I’ve been a fan of Rise & Grind’s brunch options, and now they have a new restaurant serving the whole gamut of appetisers, mains and desserts.

The 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗹 ($29.90) is definitely not to be missed. Besides being a visual spectacle, its individual components were fantastic:
▪️Mozzarella Cheesesticks ⭐️
▪️Chicken Spam Fries
▪️Onion Rings
▪️Sweet Potato Fries
▪️Fried Broccoli ⭐️

Had I known that each bowl came with a slice of 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗸𝗲, I wouldn’t have ordered one portion ($4.90) to try. Texture and taste-wise they were like fish cakes and I thought they weren’t particularly noteworthy.

Still, @shiniansg is a great place for affordable Pig Trotter Rice and I’d recommend trying it if you haven’t had this dish before.

I was also impressed with the 𝗣𝗶𝗴 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗲 ($5.90), which the staff warned contained more bones than meat. Scraping the meat and tendon off the bones was surprisingly enjoyable. I felt like a lion on National Geographic.

We started with the 𝗣𝗶𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗲 ($5.90). The tender lean meat and the fatty skin, which wasn’t overly oily, provided great textural contrast, while the sour preserved vegetables were delightful. The sapid gravy elevated the flavours of every component in the bowl. An excellent dish!

Pig Trotter Rice is not a dish commonly seen in Singapore, so Shi Nian must be doing something right with its rapid expansion. I have no idea how many outlets they have, but I went to the one at Kovan 209 Market.

While the stalls at Kovan also sell curry chicken noodles, this stall instead offers laksa as well as some side dishes. I ordered the 𝗡𝗴𝗼𝗵 𝗛𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗴 ($3). Brilliantly deep fried, these tiny morsels were insanely crispy and we couldn’t stop popping them into our mouths.

Have you tried Hougang Bak Chor Mee before?

I spotted a stall in Hougang Hainanese Village selling “Teochew fishball mee”, a style of bak chor mee (minced pork noodles) that also includes fishballs. Three stalls at Kovan 209 Market are also selling this exact iteration of bcm. Therefore I’m calling this version “Hougang Bak Chor Mee”. (Copyrighted!)

Every component in this bowl of 𝗧𝗲𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘄 𝗙𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗲 ($4.50) was well executed. The savoury sauce that the noodles were tossed in deserves special mention. This bowl of noodles was very similar to the stalls at Kovan and it’s hard to determine which is the best.

Finally the clean-tasting 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗽 was revitalising.